RCMP identify remains found near Cape Breton

The RCMP are warning residents of scam callers claiming to be the Canadian Revenue Agency. - -File photo

PORT HOOD, N.S. — Nova Scotia RCMP have identified remains found in waters off Cape Breton as that of a missing Ballantynes Cove man.

RCMP Cpl. Dal Hutchinson said the family of Patrick John MacDonald, 54, has been notified of their discovery.

MacDonald was reported missing from Ballantynes Cove, Antigonish Co., on Jan. 22. His truck was found later that day near the water where he had fished lobster his entire life. A large-scale ground search was conducted of the St. Georges Bay area.

An RCMP underwater recovery team later brought a body ashore July 18, after it was found by a fisherman about 10 nautical miles from Port Hood. The investigation into MacDonald's disappearance and death remains under investigation by Antigonish RCMP.

MacDonald was one of two men who went missing in Port Hood in recent years.

On July 9, 2017, Patrick McGrath set off from Ballantynes Cove in a kayak he had modified to carry sail. The 32-year-old Antigonish County man hasn’t been seen since.

His kayak was found upright but with water in it two days later on a rocky patch of Inverness County shore near Gillis Pond, on the opposite side of St. Georges Bay. Scattered around the boat was food he had been carrying with him and a life-jacket.

A camera found at the scene had photos taken from the kayak of the shoreline.